Last updated May 5th, 2026.

Dogwood Trees Blooming at Claytor Nature Center in Bedford, VA. Photo by Patti Black.

Virginia’s tree canopy provides many benefits to our environment, economy, and communities. Trees cool our cities and clean the air, reduce stormwater runoff and localized flooding, and stimulate the economy by: 

• Intercepting stormwater, reducing polluted runoff, and reducing floods that damage businesses, homes, roads, and other critical infrastructure.
• Reducing temperatures in neighborhoods. Studies have found up to a 16-degree difference between neighborhoods with canopies and those without! 
• Stabilizing streambanks to reduce erosion and sediment polluting our waterways.
• Diminishing cooling costs by up to 30%, reducing the energy burden on Virginia residents and carbon emissions.
• Cleaning the air of asthma-inducing pollution.

Virginia continues to lose tree canopy at an astonishing rate, losing more than 50,000 acres of tree canopy in the last seven years. This loss of tree canopy, particularly in urban and suburban localities, hinders Virginia’s efforts to manage stormwater, flooding, and mitigate against the most harmful effects of climate change. Of the amount of forest and urban trees lost each year, roughly 10% became impervious surfaces—increasing stormwater runoff and amplifying the heat island effect.

You can take a deeper dive into trees in Our Common Agenda. To learn more, read our “Preserving and Expanding Tree Canopy” policy paper.